2021 H2 Book Reviews
Finishing the year with a higher blend of fiction, with a smattering of complementary light-hearted non-fiction gems. Nothing quite as standout as the first half of the year, but notable mentions for Rockonomics and Hunt For Red October. Ratings and thoughts are naturally coloured by my own psyche- e.g. if you hate maths, you probably won’t enjoy Fermat’s Last Theorum (which I LOVED.)
- Money: The True Story of a Made-Up Thing (Jacob Goldstein)
Readable and amusing introduction to the history of money. As a concept (a collective ‘myth’, as Yuval Noah Harari might asses it) it’s fascinating- Goldstien’s history traversing the development of cash through to debt/credit, interest rates, economic theory and the deeper roots of societal ‘trust’. An enjoyable and light-hearted introduction from an experienced story teller (podcaster). 8/10
- Hunger Games Trilogy (Suzanne Collins)
Books are pretty much always better than the films, right?! A light read (I was on holiday…), the trilogy blends a surprising and irritating lack of subtlety with pleasantly non-Hollywood/non-predictable plot directions. The latter gratefully redeems the former, creating an overall easy dystopian escape. 6/10
- How To Win Friends and Influence People (Dale Carnegie)
For such an acclaimed ‘classic’ this could be retitled ‘Common Sense for Relationships’. Take interest in others, show respect, don’t criticise, take an interest… 30 axioms to make oneself more likeable and subsequently persuasive. Nothing dramatically new (it is 8 decades old!) or particularly world-shaking, it holds weight nonetheless. 5/10
- The Hunt For Red October (Tom Clancy)
Clancy’s original Jack Ryan novel. A deeply detailed, twisting and believable thriller (and, naturally, better than the movie). The only irritation is the wealth of characters, who are alternately referred to by either first name, last name or rank making it tricky to work out who’s who. Otherwise a gripping political battle teased out through under-the-sea (and landlubber) strategies. Dense and enjoyable. 8/10
What it is says on the tin- and a must read for the music industry at that. The biggest take-away is how effective streaming is at leveraging pre-existing market dynamics- e.g. the mere-exposure effect and an extreme power law. Many arguments against streaming economics boil down to opposing these uncontrollable/external factors. Understanding wider forces gives invaluable context to help addressing the shortcomings of any large scale system- wether the music consumption landscape or a whole economy. 8/10
A plain-spoken and granular treatise on the formation of habits. Though practical, Clear is a little too conversational in places for my taste- sometimes eroding the gravitas of his concepts. Habitual process is broken down, laying a roadmap for forming (or dissolving) repetitive actions. This could have been distilled to the 4 pillars upon which most of the waffle is built- that habits are obvious, attractive, easy and satisfying. 6/10
- Fermat’s Last Theorem (Simon Singh)
A history of maths focused through the lens of its greatest unsolved problem. Readable and fast moving narrative. Singh is a fantastic writer (look no further than his acclaimed ‘Code Book’)- efficiently delivering the graspable gist of deep mathematical material without getting bogged down in complexity (though there is still enough ‘meat’ for deeper readers). Coloured nicely by a pantheon of characters- Pythagorus, Euler, Gauss and beyond. A fun read if you like to ponder the magic of numbers. 9/10
- Lancaster: The Forging of a Very British Legend (John Nichol)
A mild disappointment after his sister book, ‘Spitfire’. A less focussed narrative and missing depth to large chunks of the expected account- most notably excluding 617 Squadron and their Dambuster raid. However it’s still very moving, drawing on hundreds of deeply personal experiences of harrowing loss and heroism in the face of unimaginable danger. Also set apart from ‘Spitfire’ and well punctuated by the Bomber Command narrative-controversial strategies employed in attempting to hasten the end of WW2. 6/10
